


Strangeness and Charm

by lilymae92



Series: The Pompatus of Love [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2013-04-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 05:18:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/770415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilymae92/pseuds/lilymae92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one ever said that growing up was easy... Sometimes it's hard work, and sometimes it's heartbreaking. Everyone has a story to tell...</p><p>Lily's POV</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strangeness and Charm

The smell of dingy cardboard boxes wafted through the halls, the soft crunch of newspaper being crumpled to mold around fragile objects permeating the silence. Furniture was covered in thick plastic and tape, protecting it as the movers did their best to keep from scratching up the already aged oak hardwood. The scuffs from their trainers could be cleaned up later, when the house was cleared.

A soft wind blew through the front door as it was left open, lifting up dust and dirt from the ground into the air, leaving a petite little girl coughing rough. Her deep red hair drifted behind her as she watched a few strong men load the truck, her curls tangling together in an intricate puzzle. It was going to be hard trying to brush out her hair later that afternoon, but she could care less. It was better than having to wear a ponytail everywhere.

Her deep emerald orbs scanned over the front yard, watching as a butterfly made its way slowly down the path. She wanted to follow it, to look and see what color the wings might have been, but she wasn’t allowed outside right then. She was _supposed_ to be helping her older sister pack up the kitchen, but after dropping the third piece of china, she was given guard duty. In other words, she needed to stay out of the way and not touch anything. Which, she supposed, was her intention.

Lily sighed as she watched one of the men come down from the second floor, carrying a box labeled with her name. She didn’t want to move, but she didn’t have much say in the matter. After her father had passed, her mother simply couldn’t afford the house they were living in. The house Lily had grown up in. Her mother said that the new house was just as nice, but just a bit smaller. Lily doubted it would be anywhere as nice as the one they currently had, but she didn’t say anything. Neither did Petunia. They kept quiet about their disappointment, trying to make their mum feel better about the situation.

Her mother, herself, was starting to wither without their dad. Petunia said it was because of a broken heart, but Lily knew it was something more. Within months her bright pink cheeks had hallowed out to reveal her bony jaw, her once supple lips chapping rough. She had lost a lot of weight, from what Lily could see, and her clothes hung off of her body. It took all of her strength to get up and go to work every morning, and just as much trying to get back in bed. Her once luscious red hair now lay limp against her shoulders, starting to frizz ever so slightly. The glow had even parted from her normally sparkling blue eyes.

There was no way Lily would press, or ask questions, because honestly… she didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to know if her mum was sick, or if she was going to pass away soon like her father had. She just wanted to snuggle with her mum every night, and go to the store together just to look around, and take drives to the shore to watch the waves eat away at the sand. That was all.

Lately, there were no snuggles, or trips to the store, or drives to the beach… and that was rubbish.

Petunia called out from the kitchen, tying her neat blonde hair up into a tight pony tail, “Lily! Get in here. You can at least work with the pots and pans. They don’t _break_.”

Pursing her lips, Lily near stomped into the room, feeling quite cross, “I don’t want to… I’m _tired_ of moving things.” She wanted to go play outside, see her friends… do something. Not this.

Her elder sister gave a strict look, elongated face contorting into an expression of annoyance, “Do you honestly think _I_ want to be doing this, either? The faster we work, the faster we can be done. Now come _on_.”

She tossed Lily one of the bigger boxes, pointing to the cabinet where most of the pots were tucked away. Grumbling, she begrudgingly pulled it open, scoffing at the smell of sawdust and damp wood. One by one, she pulled out the pots, tossing them in the box noisily. She didn’t want to work, and if she had to be miserable, everybody else was going to be miserable, too.

A few of the working men noticed, making pained faces at the sound of metal on metal, clinging and ringing. It wasn’t more than a few minutes later when Petunia let out a loud cry of frustration, “LILY! STOP IT!” She nearly dropped the porcelain kettle as she turned to glare at the young girl, “Do you _want_ me to tell mum?”

Lily pursed her lips and stared into the cabinet she was pulling from, shaking her head slowly. No… That was the last thing she wanted.

Petunia watched the girl for a moment, almost as if she were judging whether or not she might continue the clinging. She didn’t, so she nodded once and turned to continue her work, Lily starting up again a lot quieter than before. She didn’t mean to make anyone mad, she was just upset and frustrated.

* * *

 

Later that evening, the small family of three shuffled in to their new house. That’s all it was, really… a house. It didn’t have the same creaky third step, or the one window in the kitchen that would never shut properly, or the uneven stepping stones that led to the front door. It was just a house. It was nowhere near a home.

The only things that were really set up were their beds, and that was the only place they needed to go that night. While Rose ordered pizza, Lily explored the house, leaving her mum to handle their dinner plans. The house was much smaller than their other one had been. So much… dingier. There was peeling paint at the bottoms of the walls, and a few rooms plastered with yellowing wallpaper. The same sort of yellow that might come along with leaving a newsprint out in the sun too long.

Her room was painted a pale pink, and was barely big enough to fit her bed and desk inside. Petunia’s was a fading sea foam green, slightly bigger, but not by much. She only poked her head into her mother’s room, frowning when she realized that it was probably the smallest of the three. It would be able to fit her bed, her wardrobe, and her…

Suddenly, she didn’t want the pink bedroom, anymore.

Rose would never allow Lily to switch, though, and Lily knew that. Her mother had a peculiar soul, one she aimed to emulate in ways that she could. It was the reason she never talked back, or ran her mouth. At least… to her mother.

Petunia moved up behind her sister, looking into their mother’s room and sighing, “We should see about getting some wildflowers for her. Think I saw an old vase, earlier.” She forced a small smile, the tension from the morning fading just a tad. It had been overly warm, and spending hours on your feet working to pack your life away sometimes had the ability to make your smile fade away.

She slid one of her hands to the younger girl’s shoulder, long, thin fingers rubbing it softly, “Want to help me get mum’s room set up, so she can sleep after dinner?”

Lily had kept quiet until then, finally nodding and speaking softly, “Yeah… can we find her fluffy new blankets? She hardly ever uses them…” Her smile was soft in return, less forced and more loving. They could help make their mum comfortable…

It was the least they could do.


End file.
